What in the hell do you do after Epic Split? Forsman & Bodenfors has been trying to work this out since 2013 and it has made some respectable Live Tests since.

Finally, Epic Split has a rival. It, too, is directed by Andreas Nilsson, who seems to have gained even more skill at creating intense, dramatic impact. In The Tower, four Volvo trucks have been stacked one on top of each other and are being driven down a road during a thunderstorm with Volvo Trucks president and executive vice president of Volvo Group, Roger Alm riding on top. Underlining the drama is the musical piece, Conquest of Paradise, by Vengelis. The spot’s purpose is expressed simply in titles at the end, We are launching four new trucks strong enough to carry each other.

The height of the stacked trucks was 15 metres. Their weight was 58 tons. According to Volvo, the tower and most of the visual effects are real. The film was shot in late 2019 on a testing ground in Gothenburg in Sweden, which is Volvo’s home base.

The film promotes the launch of Volvo Trucks’ heavy duty range in Europe, which includes the Volvo FH, Volvo FH16, Volvo FM and Volvo FMX. It is Volvo Truck’s biggest launch ever.

“It took about a month to design and build the tower and make sure it was safe to drive,” stated Volvo Trucks engineer Markus Wikström, part of the team behind the project.

“Essentially, this was made possible thanks to the sturdy construction truck, the Volvo FMX, and its new 38-tonne bogie being able to carry the weight of the others. But it also required a steady speed and course, accomplished by the Volvo Dynamic Steering technology and a skilled truck driver.”

Credits:

Creative Agency: Forsman & Bodenfors
Art Directors: Mattias Berg & Josefin Roxeheim
Copywriters: Olle Langseth & Hampus Elfström
Client Director: Cilla Pegelow
Account Director: Ann Spennare Bengtsson
Account Manager: Britta Nilsson
PR Strategist: Bjarne Darwall
Designer: Jerry Wass
Planner: Daniel Sjöstrand
Agency Producer: Lena Sellman
Digital strategist: Peter Gaudiano

Media strategist: Sara Björnung

Production Company: Bacon
Director: Andreas Nilsson
Managing Director: Mette Jermiin
Executive Producer: Samuel Cantor
Producer: Karl Wettre
Line Producer: Jakob Berlin
Coordinator: Danielle Ekblad
1st AD: Robert Diment
DOP: Jakob Ihre

Post Production: Bacon X

Editor: Peter Brandt
Sound Design: Adrian Aurelius
Post Production: BaconX
Executive Post Producer: Eliana Carranza-Pitcher
VFX Supervisors: Jonas Drehn & Jan Tvilling
VFX Producer: Louise Bejerholm
Colourist: Hannibal Lang

Media & PR Agency: Verizon

Still image photographer: Patrik Johäll, Superstudio

Behind the scenes film & images: Spoon

Client: Volvo Trucks
Advertising Supervisors: Jonas Jademyr & Bruna Araujo